Fixation systems can be used in orthopedic surgery or neurosurgery to maintain a desired spatial relationship between multiple bones or bone fragments. For example, in spinal surgery, a spinal fixation system can be implanted into a patient to align and/or fix a desired orientation of one or more vertebrae. A typical spinal fixation system can include bone anchors implanted in the vertebrae and longitudinal rods that are secured to the bone anchors by set screws or other closure mechanisms. Implanting the fixation system can involve multiple steps, e.g., rod reduction, derotation, set screw insertion, among others.
Traditionally, multiple separate instruments have been required to perform these steps. Accordingly, a large number of instruments must be prepared and made available during the surgery, the surgeon must repeatedly switch between several different instruments, and frequent insertion, removal, and re-insertion of instruments to and from the surgical site can be required. All of this can lead to surgeon fatigue, prolonged operating time, and patient risks associate therewith.